An individual owning a policy on that individual’s life with coverage of $1 million, a cash surrender value (“CSV”) of $250,000 and an adjusted cost basis ("ACB") of $150,000, donates ½ of the individual’s interest in the policy to a registered charity or, alternatively, only donates ½ of the entitlement to the CSV. How is the gain under s. 148(7) computed? CRA responded:
[T]he donor will wish to ensure that a new policy is not created and that the portion of the policy the individual wishes to donate has been fully assigned in order to qualify for a donation tax credit. …
… [I]t would be necessary to determine, inter alia, whether the gift of a portion of the policy can be made without resulting, for the purposes of the applicable private law, in a disposition of the entire interest in the policy rather than just a portion of it. On the other hand, where a gift to a person of a portion of an interest in a policy is intended to establish a type of arrangement commonly referred to as a life insurance interest sharing strategy (and assuming that such a sharing is possible without resulting in a disposition of the entire interest in the policy), in addition, it would be necessary to determine whether it is possible to determine what fraction of the whole represents the portion assigned to the donee and also whether, as a result of the assignment, the donor and donee would be joint policyholders or, rather, each would own a separate policy.